Rotary armature electromagnetic relay



Oct. 1964 E. v. NAYBOR 3,153,711

norm mums mc-moucus'rxc RELAY Filed Feb. 21, 1961 ATTORNEYS United States Patent Office 3,153,71 l Patented Oct. 20, 1964 3,153,711 RUI'ARY ARMATURE ELECTROMAGNETIC RELAY Edward V. Naybor, Salem Lane, Port Washington, NY. Filed Feb. 21, 1961, Ser. No. 90,665 1 Claims. (CI. zoo-104 This invention relates to rotary actuators and more particularly to electromagnetically-driven rotary actuators in which the rotatable element is driven through a limited angle of travel to actuate members, such as elec tric contacts or other control apparatus.

Rotary actuators have been designed for incorporation in such control apparatus as relays, in which case the rotatable member is normally coupled to a plurality of contact elements arrayed in a circle about the axis of rotation. Because of the inherent nature of electrical contacts, it is desirable that the making and breaking action occur at a high rate of speed. Such action demands relatively high torque in the rotatable member, as well as relatively high spring pressures in the electrical contact systems. Additionally, there are imposed upon such relay devices requirements that they withstand rigid environmental tests, including shock and vibration. Heretofore, it has been ditlicult and costly to build relay devices capable of meeting the various performance requirements imposed thereon.

Accordingly, it is one object of the present invention to provide an improved rotary actuator which is especially adapted to operate the multiple contacts of a multiplepoint relay.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved elecu'omagnetically-actuated relay, having a plurality of contact elements and which is capable of withstanding smk and vibration.

Still another object of the invention is to provide an improved rotary actuator, which is susceptible of miniaturimtion of its design without sacrificing materially its performance Still another object of the invention is to provide a multiple-point relay embodying relatively high contact pressures when the relay is de-energized and which incorporates an electmmaguetically-actuated mechanism in which the spring system of the contacts can be decoupled from the rotary system when the relay is de-energized.

In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a rotary actuator in which the fixed and movable partsoftherotarysystemarehousedwithinthe coreof thecoilassemblyandinwhichthepassage offiux axially through the core is caused to bridge a plurality of circnmferentially opposed pole faces, which define parallel fiuxpaths. Tothisend,thefixedpole structurecantake the form, for example, of a plurality of four axially extending fingers, within which is nested a rotor element, including a corresponding number of axially directed fingers, each having a pole face opposing a complementary pole face on the fixed structure. A contact system, including a plurality of spring-biased contacts, is arrayed aboutthe axis of the rotary element and the two are coupled by an actuator assembly in which radially extending fingers, carrying electrically insulating tips, are dispmed adjacent corresponding contact assemblies. The actuator assembly is secondarily spring-biased, so that the fingers are decoupled from the contacts when the relay is de-energized. When the relay is energized, the rotor first moves angularly against the relatively light decoupling spring, after which the actuator energizes the contact elements to make or break contacts therein, as the case may be, at which time the rotor is opposed by the combined spring forces of the de-coupling spring and the multiple contact assemblies.

The above and other features of the present invention will be most readily apparent, having reference to the following specification describing a preferred arrange ment of the invention and having reference to the accompanying drawings in which FIGURE 1 is a view in longitudinal section through the central axis of an electromagnetically-actuated relay;

FIGURE 2 is a fragmentary view in transverse section taken on the line 22 of FIGURE 1, looking in the direction of the arrows;

FIGURE 3 is a figure in transverse section partly broken away and taken on the line 3-3 in FIGURE 1, looking in the direction of the arrows;

FIGURE 4 is a view in transverse section taken on the line 44, looking in the direction of the arrows;

FIGURE 5 is a fragmentary view in enlarged scale showing one set of contact elements; and

FIGURE 6 is a plane view of the actuating mechanism for the multiple contact assemblies, showing its active position in full line:- and its inactive position in broken lines.

Referring to the drawing, the invention is illustrated as embodied in a relay assembly indicated generally by the numeral 10. The assem ly includes a base portion or header 11, carrying an internal four-armed bridge or spider housing 12, both being received within the lower portion of an exter. al casing 13. Fitted within the casing 13, and carried by "he internal bridge 12, as a motor assembly, including 2. coil 14 wound in a bobbin 15, within which is fitted an armature assembly 16 mounted for rotation about the longitudinal axis of the relay.

The armature 16 is suppor ed at its upper end by a ball bearing 17 constrained by an adjustable stop screw 18 and at its lower end by a bearing surface 19 resting on a shoulder 20 formed on the stator assembly 21. The lower end of the rotor comprises a shaft extension 22, which projects into a chamber 23 formed by the casing 13 and surround the depending arms of the bridge 12. The rotor assembly 16, as best seen in FIGURES l and 2, includes a central portion 16a, from which extend four equiangularly-spaced fins or arms 16!), received within the respective spaces defined by an array of four arm portions 21a formed integrally with the stator assembly 21. The circular lower flange 24 of the stator assembly 21 engages an internal cylindrical sleeve 25, which surrounds the coil 14 and which is engaged at its upper end by a circular member 26, formed integrally with a hearing boss 27, which engages the inside upper surface of the casing 13. The motor assembly is completed by a spacer sleeve 28 formed of a suitable non-magnetic material, such, for example, as brass, plastic, or the like.

The upper bearing boss assembly 27, the rotor assembly 16, the stator assembly 21 and the sleeve 25 are all formed by magnetic materials, so that there is provided a flux path through the axis of the motor asembly when the coil 14 is energized. Normally, the rotor fins 16b are spaced angularly or circumferentially from the corresponding upstanding arms 21a from the stator assembly, so that, when the coil is energized, four parallel flux paths are provided between the opposed surfaces of the adjacent stator and rotor parts 16b and 21a, shaft 16a being nonmagnetic. When the coil is de-energized, the armature or rotor assembly is driven in a counter-clockwise direction, as viewed in FIGURE 2, by multiple spring effects presently to be described. The inactive, or counter-clockwise, passage of the rotor is fixed by a stop 29, formed of non-magnetic material, which is engaged by the trailing, or inactive, surface of one of the fins 16b.

It will be observed that the inactive, or de-energized, position of the rotor is loss than half of the travel between adjacent arms Zla of the stator, so that the rotor will always be urged in a clockwise direction, as viewed in FIGURE 2, when the coil is energized and the magnetic flux path across the four gaps between corresponding rotor and stator members 16b and 21a.

Mounted within the chamber 23 is a multiple contact assembly, illustrated in FIGURES l, 4 and 5. In the illustrated arrangement of the invention, six substantially identical contact assemblies 30a, 30b 30f are arrayed about the central axis of the relay. The

six assemblies are substantially identical and only one need, therefore, be described in detail. Referring ot FIG- URES 1 and 5, the contact assembly 30a includes a pair of fixed contacts 31a and 32a, carried by flexible upstanding arms 37a and 34a circumferentially to terminal pins 350 and 36a, which pass through sealing beads 37a and 38a in the base 11 and which terminate in soldering terminals, one of which is shown in FIGURE 1, identified by the numeral 390. Mounted between the contacts 310 and 32a is a double-faced movable contact 40a, which nonnally energizes the contact 32a. The contact 400 is carried at the upper end of a flexible metallic S-shaped member 41a, the lower end of which is affixed as by welding, for example, to a pin 42a secured in the base 11 and terminating in a terminal fitting 43a externally of the chamber 23.

The arm 41a is adapted to be actuated to urge the contact 40a in a counter-clockwise direction, as viewed in FIGURE 5, by means of an actuator assembly 44, which includes a central hub portion 45 afiixed to the lower end of the armature shaft 22 and having extending therefrom an armature of six circumferentially-spaced arms, 46a 46f, the free ends of which carry in sulating glass beads 47a 47f. A spring finger 48, secured to the upper surface of the bridge 12 by means of :1 lug 49, extends radially inwardly to be secured to the hub 45 to urge the armature assembly to a neutral position in which the insulating beads 47a 41f are slightly spaced from their corresponding contact members 41a 41f.

In operation, when the relay coil 14 is energized, the four parallel flux paths bridging the gaps between the stator and rotor portions 21a and 16b rotate the armature and hence the actuating assembly 44 to carry the glass beads 47a 47f into engagement with the corresponding contact assemblies 30a 30f and to drive the movable contaets 40a 40f out of engagement with the contacts 32a 32f. In this fashion. all six contact asemblies are actuated simultaneously. When the coil is de-energized, the combined spring fingers of the six S-shapcd contact arms 41:: 41 as well as the spring finger 48, urge the actuating assembly, and hence the rotor, toward its inactive position, first causing the contacts40a...40ftoleavecontacts3la...3lfand thentoenerginethecontactsiila 32fanddisengaging the insulating beads 47a 471' from the contact asemblies, after which the rotor engages its limit stop 29. The entire assembly is hermetically sealed by means of a solder connection 50 between the housing 13 and the base assembly 11. To facilitate mounting, the outer casingl3carriesamouutingflange5l,fumishedwith suitable mounting screw openings 52. The coil 14 is energized through header connections 50a and 50b and conductors 51a and 51b (partially shown in FIGURES I and 4) which pass through the chamber 23 and the flange 24 of the stator assembly.

Although the invention has been described above as having reference to a preferred arrangement thereof, it will be understood that it can take various forms and arrangements within the scope of the present invention, which should not, therefore, be regarded as limited, except as defined in the following claims.

I claim:

I. An electro-mechanical actuator comprising a rotary armature including central non-magnetic shaft means and a magnetic body portion surrounding and carried by the shaft means, said shaft means extending beyond said body portion at either end, said body portion including at one end a substantially fiat surface extending radially outward transversely of said shaft means and at its other end, a plurality of radially extending portions circumfcrentially arrayed symmetrically about the axis of the shaft means, a magnetic stator including a plurality of circumferentially arrayed portions extending radially inwardly into the spaces between radially extending portions of the armature to define variable air gaps, said stator including a pole piece having a flat, transversely extending surface closely opposing the flat end surface of the body portion to define a non-variable air gap, a bearing chamber formed in the flat surface of the stator to receive the end of the shaft, means to support the armature for axial turning movement, a coil surrounding the armature and at least portions of the stator and adapted upon energization to generate a flux field passing through the non-variable air gap and across the non-variable gaps between adjacent radially extending portions of the stator and armature, means to urge the armature in counter rotary motion in the direction opening the variable gaps, and stop mears for limiting the counter rotation to an angular position spacing the radially extending portions of the armature a distance less than half way between adjacent radially extending portions of the stator.

2. An actuator as set forth in claim 1, including an electrical contact assembly having movable, spring biased contacts affording resilient supports for the respective contacts, and actuating arms coupled to the shaft to extend radially therefrom and normally spaced from the movable contact and adapted, upon energization by the coil, to be carried into engagement of the resilient contact support and to move the contact thereby, whereby the rotation of the armature is opposed by the spring force of the resilient support, and supplemental spring means coupled to said shaft to resiliently oppose motion of the armature'and to urge the armature upon de-energization to a neutral position wherein the actuating arms are spaced from the resilient supports of the contacts.

3. Apparatus as set forth in claim 2, means defining a contact chamber, said armature shaft being disposed on said axis and extending into the contact chamber, a collar carried by the shaft, a plurality of actuating arms exten ing radially from the collar and a plurality of circmnferentially-arrayed contact assemblies associated, respectively, with the actuating arms and disposed in said chamber, each of said contact assemblies including a movable contact and an S-shaped resilient support carrying said contact, said contact being carried adjacent one end of the S-Shapcd supp rt, means to mount the S-shaped support fixedly adjacent its other end, said actuator engaging the S-shaped member between its ends.

4. Apparatus as set forth in claim 3. including a spring finger disposed in said chamber and supported at a point radially spaced from the collar and secured to the collar at a point spaced from the center thereof to urge the actuating arms out of engagement with the contact assembles.

5. Apparatus as set forth in claim 1, including axially adjustable bearing means to support said armature.

6. Apparatus as set forth in claim 1, including means defining a magnetic circuit formed of magnetic material and surrounding said coil and coupled to the extreme ends, respectively, of the magnetic portions of the armature and the stator.

7. Apparatus as set forth in claim 6, including at least four radially extended surfaces on said armature and at least four radially extended surfaces on said stator, the radially extended surfaces on the armature being fonned respectively on four circumferentially spaced axially extending arms and the radially extended surfaces on the stator being formed on four circumferentially spaced axially extending arms in the opposite direction from the arms which comprise the armature and disposed respectively between adjacent pairs of arms of the armature, thereby to define axially extending variable air gaps therebetween, all of said variable air gaps being in parallel.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,790,939 Horlacher Apr. 30, 1957 2,805,301 Shaw Sept. 3, 1957 2,827,530 Sauer Mar. 18, 1958 2,856,485 Zimmer Oct. 14, 1958 2,876,310 Larsh Mar. 3, 1959 2,916,584 Molyneux Dec. 8, 1959 2,952,755 Brinker et a1. Sept. 13, 1960 

1. AN ELECTRO-MECHANICAL ACTUATOR COMPRISING A ROTARY ARMATURE INCLUDING CENTRAL NON-MAGNETIC SHAFT MEANS AND A MAGNETIC BODY PORTION SURROUNDING AND CARRIED BY THE SHAFT MEANS, SAID SHAFT MEANS EXTENDING BEYOND SAID BODY PORTION AT EITHER END, SAID BODY PORTION INCLUDING AT ONE END A SUBSTANTIALLY FLAT SURFACE EXTENDING RADIALLY OUTWARD TRANSVERSELY OF SAID SHAFT MEANS AND AT ITS OTHER END, A PLURALITY OF RADIALLY EXTENDING PORTIONS CIRCUMFERENTIALLY ARRAYED SYMMETRICALLY ABOUT THE AXIS OF THE SHAFT MEANS, A MAGNETIC STATOR INCLUDING A PLURALITY OF CIRCUMFERENTIALLY ARRAYED PORTIONS EXTENDING RADIALLY INWARDLY INTO THE SPACES BETWEEN RADIALLY EXTENDING PORTIONS OF THE ARMATURE TO DEFINE VARIABLE AIR GAPS, SAID STATOR INCLUDING A POLE PIECE HAVING A FLAT, TRANSVERSELY EXTENDING SURFACE CLOSELY OPPOSING THE FLAT END SURFACE OF THE BODY PORTION TO DEFINE A NON-VARIABLE AIR GAP, A BEARING CHAMBER FORMED IN THE FLAT SURFACE OF THE STATOR TO RECEIVE THE END OF THE SHAFT, MEANS TO SUPPORT THE ARMATURE FOR AXIAL TURNING MOVEMENT, A COIL SURROUNDING THE ARMATURE AND AT LEAST PORTIONS OF THE STATOR AND ADAPTED UPON ENERGIZATION TO GENERATE A FLUX FIELD PASSING THROUGH THE NON-VARIABLE AIR GAP AND ACROSS THE NON-VARIABLE GAPS BETWEEN ADJACENT RADIALLY EXTENDING PORTIONS OF THE STATOR AND ARMATURE, MEANS TO URGE THE ARMATURE IN COUNTER ROTARY MOTION IN THE DIRECTION OPENING THE VARIABLE GAPS, AND STOP MEANS FOR LIMITING THE COUNTER ROTATION TO AN ANGULAR POSITION SPACING THE RADIALLY EXTENDING PORTIONS OF THE ARMATURE A DISTANCE LESS THAN HALF WAY BETWEEN ADJACENT RADIALLY EXTENDING PORTIONS OF THE STATOR. 